Guide
How long must your visa health insurance cover for?
By Covered Abroad Research Desk · Last verified July 2026
The rule in writing
“The policy must provide medical and hospitalisation cover valid in France for the whole visa period (up to one year), stating inpatient and outpatient cover and the territory.”
Official source: France-Visas long-stay visa requirements — Last verified:
The rule in writing
“The elective residence visa requires health insurance valid across the Schengen area with minimum cover of €30,000, including hospitalisation and repatriation, for the full visa year.”
Official source: Italian consulate elective-residence guidance (via The Italian Lawyer & Global Citizen Solutions) — Last verified:
Cover the whole visa period, not a few months
The certificate has to match your visa, not fall short of it. France expects cover for the full stay, commonly up to a year; Italy expects cover for the full visa year. See the cited rules below. A policy that ends before the visa does leaves a gap the consulate can refuse over.
The dates must be clear on the certificate
It is not enough for the cover to be long enough; the certificate has to say so. Check that it states a start and end date, and that the period covers your intended visa dates. Vague or missing dates are an easy reason for a query.
What happens at renewal
When you renew your visa or residence permit, your cover has to continue without a gap. Keep a policy that runs continuously; see our note on renewing an Italian permesso for how continuity is checked.
Check the dates before you buy
Read the certificate dates against your visa period before you commit. Not sure it lines up? Run your details through our free policy checker. The consulate keeps discretion over every file.